After handling or petting animals, whether it be at the zoo, the fair, or a rodeo, the most important thing to do is wash your hands.
“Animals carry certain germs or bacteria and those bacteria, if you don’t wash your hands can make you sick,” says Mike Reas, Environmental Health Supervisor, adding that “the two main ones are E. Coli and salmonella.”
Washing your hands at the zoo is simple. Hand-washing stations are usually right inside the petting zoo. After petting animals, kids need to know that they need to wash their hands.